15 Top Reasons Why Millennials Cheat (And You Won't Be Mad)

There are two types of millennials; the ones who cheat, and the ones who don't. The former often forces the latter to question who they are, and burns them with a question that is impossible to answer: why? Why would they cheat on me, betray my trust? What's wrong with me? If you're a cheater, these reasons might hit close to home. It might help you understand who you are and why you've hurt people in the past. If you've been cheated on, it might help you realize that it wasn't your fault. It'll bring you clarity, and make you understand why your generation is the way it is. Millennials have been called serial cheaters with too many options, and that we'll never settle down. Is it true? Whether or not we'll prove the world right or wrong is up to us, but understanding why cheaters do what they do will make us realize our own flaws and the flaws of those we've dated. Here are the top 15 reasons why millennials cheat, and you won't be mad.

15 The Biggest Reason Is Something You've Never Heard Of

If you've ever been cheated on, you've probably been left with one crippling question that breaks your heart again and again; why? The answer is a single word, but it isn't simple - interdependence. This is something that millennials themselves have admitted too. When a study was conducted regarding why millennial-aged people have cheated before, the most resounding answer was interdependence. What is it? Interdependence is a desire to feel truly loved and valued by your partner, and be completely connected with them. It's challenging to find relationships like this, and once a millennial realizes they won't achieve this with their current partner, they cheat. This covers a wide array of problems, which makes it unsurprising that this causes such high rates of infidelity. This also coincides with the fact that emotional cheating is the most frequent form of cheating in millennials. Why is this trait so prevalent in millennials? It could have to do with our idea of what love is, which ultimately, may totally be unrealistic. Are you shocked that this is the most common reason why millennials cheat? The rest of the list might make you understand the cruel question broken-hearted people always face - why?

14 Millennials Need The Fire To Be Burning - Constantly

If that all-consuming spark isn't there, millennials will assume it's not worth it. The person you're meant to be with should drown you in passion and suffocate you with a million butterflies, right? We've been brainwashed by movies and fairy tales. The unrealistic expectations of love that we've been bombarded with makes millennials assume that if that fire ever fades away, the relationship is over. You can be madly in love with someone without those intense emotions, and often, those are the relationships that last a lifetime. Relationships that make your skin tingle when you touch them are doomed to combust because you're defined by lust and nothing concrete. It's a hard lesson to learn, and once the passion trickles away, many millennials find themselves cheating. Suddenly, someone else brings that inferno to your heart, and you quickly become intoxicated by them. Even if a millennial is committed to someone else, they find themselves forgetting about who once stole their heart. The fire always needs to be burning for most millennials, and they'll seek it elsewhere if it stops.

13 Your Bedroom Habits Could Be The Deciding Factor

Have things become boring in bed? You find yourself doing the same thing every day until intimacy in your relationship begins to feel more like a chore. All the passion fizzles away. This is a major problem because it often leads to insecurity. Millennials will start to wonder "am I not sexy enough?" or "are they bored of me?" That terror can transform into a deep need to feel wanted again. There are dozens of ways to increase passion in a relationship that is turning stale, but that effort can prove to be too taxing for some millennials. When it's foolishly easy to find someone to lust after you for a night, some find themselves taking this route when they're considered they're not enough anymore. If you're not regularly engaging in loving bedtime fun, it'll lead to wandering eyes and spiraling problems. Long lasting relationships take work, but some millennials never got the memo, and are ready to seek out validation from somewhere else at the drop of a hat.

12 Communication, Communication, Communication

Humans are really bad at communicating. It's a wonder we ever get anything across to one another ever. The sad truth is, however, is that millennials might be the worst generation in a long time when it comes to communicating. When we don't communicate, we end up hurting each other and lashing out. It's not always unhealthy, but unfortunately, millennials have a bad habit of blowing up the situation. A fight leads to a need to get back at your partner, and that often results in seeking validation and gratification from someone else. Maybe it's emotional cheating, maybe it's worse than that, but problems often stem from communication when it comes to millennials. It's a wonder we manage to keep any relationships at all when we're just so damn bad at it. If you've found yourself wondering what's gone wrong in the past, you can probably sum it up to poor communication. Not everyone will cheat as a result of a misunderstanding, but it's more common than you think.

11 They're Not Sure Which Team They Play For

If you get into a long-term relationship before experimenting, you could be in trouble. Maybe you haven't been mature enough in the past to consider your preference and it's boundaries, or lack thereof. This is why millennials cheat, but interestingly enough, the partner they're cheating on doesn't always consider it cheating. If you're a woman that suddenly feels like you might want to get it on with the same gender, many boyfriends wouldn't care; in fact, they'd be all for it. They'd probably ask to watch. While this isn't always the case, it's important to talk to your partner about experimenting. What they consider to be cheating could be different from your definition of it. Maybe you think its harmless, but you end up ruining everything with the person you love forever. Millennials tend to find themselves cheating when they begin to question which team they play for, but this reveals how many people have differing definitions of cheating.

10 They Feel Like Commitment Closes Too Many Doors

It's not just your love life that is defined when you're in an exclusive relationship. In order to shove that door open, some people feel like they have to cheat to free themselves. But what else can commitment destroy? You might constantly feel like you have to answer to someone. You're constantly forced to consider another person when you might very well want to only think of yourself and act on a whim. Being in a relationship can affect your career - suddenly you have to compromise your future in order to help your partner be successful. You might stay in more and meet fewer people, therefore losing opportunities. Being in a relationship is a beautiful thing until it's not, and you find yourself trapped with four walls closing in. Some people react to this with fear, and fear can lead to poor decisions. This is a huge reason why millennials find themselves cheating when they never thought they would.

9 It's Easy To Find Love Elsewhere

If your partner is distant, millennials tend to despair. Someone can fill the temporary void they left with Tinder. Or, if that's too disloyal for you, find someone you can flirt with. A little emotional cheating is so hard to trace back to you. How easy is it to find love nowadays? If you don't feel like going to a club and grabbing the first person you see, simply download one of the trillion apps that will instantly hook you up with someone. Some millennials feel like they need a little extra spice in their life, and it's easy to find that spice literally anywhere. You can find it at the grocery store, you can find it online, you can find it at your neighbors. Love can be like new shoes if you want, and some millennials want exactly that. Go to the store, pick out a new one, wear it around a couple times. Maybe you'll return it, maybe you'll keep it in your closet forever. However, if you're keeping your lovers in the closet, you could be a criminal. Millennials are overwhelmed with choices thanks to how easy it is to find love, and now cheating doesn't even really feel like cheating for many millennials.

8 People Are Recognizing Toxic Relationships Easier

Cheating can be an escape from more than just flaws in a relationship. It could be an escape from the relationship altogether, and some people need that very escape. While people are beginning to recognize toxic relationships much easier, that doesn't mean leaving them is easier. Often, the unhealthy relationship has effected a person so horrifically, that they're too afraid to leave. Cheating offers a window of opportunity. It's a way to force the hand of the relationship, it's a way to make it so there's no other choice but end it. It could give the victim new strength and new purpose. It can be hard to abandon a toxic relationship when it's only for yourself, but when it involves someone new and someone that you have feelings for, it could be the straw that breaks the camels back. No one has perfected the art of leaving a relationship, and it's particularly messy and dangerous if it's an unhealthy one. Whether it's physical or emotional cheating, it can sometimes give a person strength.

7 Someone Else Makes Their Heart Soar

It's not that these millennials went looking for somebody. They never saw themselves as cheaters. But suddenly, you begin to notice your co-worker, your friend, your classmate, in a way you didn't before. The tension between you and that person is palpable, the attraction is out of this world. Suddenly a millennial might find themselves thinking of this person when they're in bed with their significant other, and the flirtation could escalate to something more. Millennials cheat because they become attracted to someone else. You can't control your own emotions, right? You don't decide who you love. No, but you do decide who you lust for, and that lust never lasts for long. Millennials find themselves making quick mistakes with lasting impact, especially when they're eventually caught. It won't be long until both lover and partner have left your life if you make this poor decision.

6 They Fear Losing Their Independence

What better way to grab back your independence than by cheating on someone? That'll show you for telling yourself you're losing your independence. Nobody said millennials are the brightest bulbs on the chandelier. Some people covet their independence until it matters more than anything else, even their significant other… and when that significant other gets in the way of it, these independence obsessed millennials will lash out. They cheat more to prove to themselves that they can still do whatever they want when they want - millennials are becoming notorious for being undisciplined. You might be saying to yourself, "that makes no sense." If you're a millennial, you might retort, "I wouldn't do that, we're not all that dumb!" While they could be true, the ones that do this are making a bad name for the rest of the millennials. The concept of commitments falls astray from one too many of today's millennials. Keeping commitments should be valued above independence.

5 Loneliness Is Crippling

A vacation could feel like months. A busy life feels like torture. When a millennial is left behind, loneliness will naturally set in. It can turn a person into something they're not. It isn't only millennials that have been subject to this type of loneliness - people have been cheating on their spouses because of loneliness for decades. However, millennials become lonely faster than those that have come before them. Their minds are constantly being bombarded with information that they don't know how to be alone with themselves anymore. Many millennials find themselves seeking out the company of someone they shouldn't, rather than accept the solitude. This type of loneliness cripples your moral compass because suddenly, the only thing that matters is yourself. They don't necessarily have to be a selfish person to be struck by this thought process; millennials are particularly at risk for this type illogical decision. Everyone can sympathize with loneliness, but the way millennials handle it often leads to disaster.

4 They Wonder If Someone Else Can Give Them More

As time goes on, it's easy to see the flaws in your partner. Sometimes, they might outshine the good. When you're in a relationship, there are two possible outcomes; you'll break up or you'll get married. The latter can seem terrifying on bad days. Millennials might think to themselves, I could just see what else is out there. It's so easy to find someone else these days; with a handful of hook up apps, you're a couple likes and a few messages away from entangling yourself in someone else's sheets. Unfortunately, many realize after the immoral hookup, that what they've had all along is exactly what they've needed. It's easy to want more in a long-term relationship, and millennials frequently find themselves asking "is someone else smarter?" "Is someone else better in bed?" But beyond that, they struggle to define what 'more' really is. Too many options isn't always a good thing.

3 They're Seeking A Thrill

There are few things in the world as thrilling as doing the wrong thing. Despite your devotion, a millennial might listen to that voice in their head telling them something more might be out there. And even if there isn't, no one would have to find out, right? If their conscious can be suppressed, the danger of being caught could make it the best hook up you've ever had. Not all thrill seekers are bound to be cheaters, but the risk is so tempting, many millennials could fall victim to that desire for forbidden lust. Sneaking around with someone can even make the bedroom fun more intense. Some people say that the best intimacy they've ever experienced has been during an affair. Conquering someone is a thrill on its own, but when it's against the rules, it can lead people to do the wrong thing very easily. Millennials are notorious for taking risks, and they might consider this risk worth the consequences. Everyone believes they won't be the ones to get caught.

2 They Don't Remember Doing It

"I would never cheat," might be something you would say. But if you're a millennial, what happens when you've had too many drinks, and wake up in someone else's bed the next morning? It's hardly innocent, even if it was an accident. Millennials will quickly discover they don't know themselves as well as they think because losing your inhibitions will scrape away all the lies you tell yourself. It might not be a reason as much as it's a fact, but when you know you won't remember what happened the next morning, that's almost an excuses, right? Some particularly careless and thoughtless millennials might consider it to be a totally valid excuse that warrants forgiveness, but you have to be a 'special' type of person to believe that. Is it really your fault if it was out of your control? These type of millennials need to realize that drinking too much is completely within your control, and whatever happens after it.

1 Studies Prove That Millennials Are Immature

Is it possible that it's this simple? Are we too immature to handle commitment? The possibility of forever is a concept that we can't really wrap our minds around? It's starting to sound like millennials are less at fault for their actions and more at fault for a poor design. It's harder to mature in a world where unrealistic expectations are constantly tearing you down, and one of those unrealistic expectations is what love is supposed to be. We wake up one day and realize that someone that once madly loved you can fall out of love, and our world is turned upside down. How are we suppose to grow into rational, mature human beings under those circumstances? What we thought was logical wasn't logical at all. These pressures mount on millennials shoulders until they find themselves cheating. Maybe they do it to try and understand who they are. Maybe they want to see if something better is out there. We're too immature for commitment because of the environment we've grown up in.